Coen Hess doesnโt need to ponder long when asked what it takes for a team to rise from eighth to thrust themselves into an NRL grand final.
โA prime Jason Taumalolo and Michael Morgan helps,โ the Cowboys enforcer says with a laugh, recalling North Queenslandโs scintillating 2017 finals campaign.
That season marked Hess as an NRL player โ bursting onto the scene to garner a State of Origin call-up for Queensland as an impact back rower. Even playing most of his footy off the bench, the now 30-year-old scored 13 tries and ran for a career-best 108 metres a game.
He and Taumalolo are the last men standing from that 2017 charge, in which the Cowboys fell to the Melbourne Storm at the final hurdle.
No side has replicated the feat since, with every decider determined between two teams who completed the regular season inside the top four.
It was a fortuitous run, Hess recalls, as North Queensland needed the Dragons to lose their round 26 clash with the Bulldogs after the Cowboys fell to the Broncos earlier in the week in a run of five defeats in their past six games.
But when St George-Illawarra succumbed, a window opened. Coincidentally, Hess and his teammates faced the same rivals โ the Sharks โ as they will on Saturday night from the same position. Itโs the seventh time they will square off in a finalsโ campaign.
History of Cowboys v Sharks in NRL finals
- 2013 elimination final: Cronulla 20 def North Queensland 18 in a clash marred by controversy after Beau Ryan crossed in the corner in what was the seventh tackle of the set, after a miscount had ensued.ย
- 2015 semi-final: North Queensland 39 def Cronulla as Johnathan Thurston set up two tries and another three linebreaks to book a preliminary final berth en route to a maiden title.
- 2016 preliminary final: Cronulla 32 def North Queensland 20, with the Cowboysโ three tries in the final 10 minutes not enough to overcome a sluggish start. The week before, North Queensland had fought a 90-minute thriller against the Broncos in Townsville.ย
- 2017 elimination final: North Queensland 15 def Cronulla 14, with Michael Morgan kicking an extra time field goal after the Cowboys trailed 8-2 at halftime.ย
- 2022 qualifying final: North Queensland 32 def Cronulla 30 in a contest Coen Hess describes as โone of the best wins Iโve been a part ofโ after Valentine Holmes slotted a two-point field goal after 92 minutes.ย
- 2024 semi-final: Cronulla 26 def North Queensland 18, as a Braydon Trindall masterclass โ scoring twice and setting up another try โ guided the Sharks home.ย
The season has not been smooth for the Cowboys โ their historic 82-10 capitulation against the Roosters, and a heavy 50-30 loss to Canberra each occurring at home in their last five. No side in 2026โs top 12 have conceded as many as North Queenslandโs 652 points.
But momentum, Hess believes, can be wrestled back quickly, as 2017 proved.
โOne win can really springboard you and give you a lot of confidence, and I think we just rode the high for as long as we could. We were just grateful to be in the position we were โ we didnโt even know we were making finals, so we just got thrust into the finals and went on a run,โ Hess says.
โThis year, the way the games go, anyone can beat anyone on their given day, so itโs just a matter of turning up each week, playing like itโs going to be your last game.
โWe havenโt really spoken about it [the 2017 campaign]. During the year you make running comments here and there, but itโs not something weโve leant on.โ
In their three finals victories en route to the grand final, Morgan and Taumalolo struck up a dominant combination.
On the back of Taumaloloโs 756 running metres and 13 tackle busts across those outings, Morgan scored and set up a try in each encounter to overcome the Sharks (15-14), Eels (24-16) and Roosters (29-16).
The halfback of that series โ Morgan โ has since retired. At the time, he had stepped in to fill the void left by an injured Johnathan Thurston.
Throughout 2026, Taumalolo has looked to recapture the form from that 2017 campaign.
Earlier this year, his career had been teetering under the threat of injuries, including a debilitating knee issue.
But after three lean years in which he managed just 49 games โ 10 in 2025 โ the 33-year-old has been in the conversation as the gameโs best middle forward.
Taumaloloโs 54 tackle busts for the year has been his best figure since 2022, while his 153 running metres an outing on reduced minutes โ roughly 46 a game โ reignited the aura that once surrounded the Tongan colossus.
โThere are those players with aura, and heโs definitely one of them. He definitely gets up for the big games, and itโs just being out there with himโ Hess says.
โWhen heโs demanding the ball, you know heโs on, and heโs skittering defenders. If you see him doing that, it makes you want to follow in his footsteps and do that as well.
โThe big fella is firing, so anything can happen โ we might have to ride his coattails, get the horse whip out, and start giving him a few to see what we can do. Heโs back in career-best form.โ
The Cowboys have been boosted by lock Reuben Cotter being cleared to play after contesting his one-game suspension for a reckless high-tackle charge issued against the Raiders.
Start the day with a summary of the dayโs most important and interesting stories, analysis and insights. Sign up for our Morning Edition newsletter.
From our partners
About the Author
